The End's Not Near, It's Here
by ambrosia730
Summary: The team travels to Louisiana to help catch a serial killer, but will all their agents return? a little Reid/JJ. Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**The End's Not Near, It's Here**

_"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." ~Robert Frost_

**Lake Charles, LA**

There was a serene calm down by the old lake. Ashley and Matt sat on top of the hood of his blue pick-up truck, starring at the stars. Their hands were intertwined as they whispered sweet nothings to each other. She was getting carried away with plans about marriage and kids and a on the lake. While he gazed deeply into her eyes and soaked in her every word. They couldn't count how many times they had done this exact thing, all alone out in Baker's Field. However, tonight was different… it was coming up to their high school graduation, and Matt had a burning desire to ask a certain question to Ashley. Fearful for her response, he busted out a bottle of wine that he had snuck out of his mother's cabinet. Ashley was surprised and giddy to sip on the adult liquid. After two glasses, they began kissing feverishly with young love. The kind of love that everyone remembers and longs to go back to.

Suddenly Ashley had the strange feeling that someone was watching them. She didn't want to seem paranoid and dramatic, but she couldn't really shake this feeling all night.

"Did you hear something?" Ashley asked with a tone of sudden terror.

"I'm sure it's just one of Mr. Baker's cows that got loose or something….or worse, it could be one of the guys trying to scare us" Matt stated the last part in a flat tone. He hadn't told his friends exactly what he was doing tonight; however he had warned that it was special.

Matt jumped down from the bed of the truck, where they had relocated to in order to get more cozy, and began to yell into the dense trees that lined the local legendary field.

"ALEX? JOSH? EVAN?...YA'LL I'M SERIOUS, STOP IT! GO HOME AND FIND A HOBBY OR SOMETHING…" Matt's voice just echoed back at the couple.

"I guess no one is there, babe" matt calmly stated as he went to grab a blanket out of the cab of the truck for the two to snuggle under. Between the stars, the wine, the blanket, and their history of love, matt was almost sure that Ash would say yes to his proposal…he was finally working up the nerve to pull out the ring that he bought on with his little savings…it wasn't much, but in his mind he knew he would replace it in a few years with a really impressive rock.

Matt was lost in his own thoughts and insecurities as he walked around to the back of the truck, "I know you hate this blanket, but it's the only one I could find…" his voice trailed off as he looked up into the bed of the truck. Ashley is gone.

**BAU, Quantico, VA**

There was the usual hustle and bustle at the BAU, Hotch and Rossi were locked in their respective offices working dilligently…although everyone kind of knew that Rossi was also working on his next novel. The team had an intense suspicion that each of them would be main characters…hopefully he would change their names for privacy purposes.

Emily, Reid, and Morgan were goofing off in the BAU bullpen, the team was in between cases and the three agents were letting off steam by teasing each other about personal lives and office rumors.

"So, Em, I hear you have the hots for the old guy?" Morgan taunted his co-worker.

"Which old guy?" Reid asked, in his normal oblivious state.

Emily, still feeling like the newest member of the team, felt comfortable with Morgan and even with the quirky Dr. Reid. The three of them hanging out in the bullpen happened so often that it just felt natural. Emily viewed Reid as a dorky younger brother who needed protecting, not so much as physically protecting him, but more emotionally shielding him from life's unexpected pain. Emily saw Morgan as more of an older brother or more like one of her old guy friends from high school. For some reason Emily always had better friendships with guys. Guys were easier…not as messy and dramatic as girls usually are. Of course this description did not apply to JJ and Penelope. The three girls had grown very close over the years, and even spent most of their free time together. Emily assumed it was easier for all of them to be with other people who knew the hell they go through with their jobs.

"For your information, I do not have "the hots" for anyone who works in the BAU" Emily stated informatively, she knew that this was just what the three of them did to each other when they had down time. Emily and Reid would tease Morgan about Garcia…and just about every other female agent in the FBI. Morgan and Reid would tease Emily about having it out for either Hotch or Rossi, depending on their moods. And Emily and Morgan persistently pestered Reid about his feelings for JJ.

Luckily for Reid, before the teasing topic went on to his longing for the BAU liaison, JJ walked into the bullpen and alerted the three that they had a meeting in the conference room asap and the case seemed to be brutal. JJ always attempted to brace them for the pictures that they were inevitably going to be exposed to. After alerting the three, JJ walked with a hurried pace towards Hotch and Rossi's respective offices. Hotch was already aware of the case, and the energy and man power that it would entail, but Rossi was a little preoccupied to have already reviewed the case.

JJ casually leaned into Hotch's office; his door was usually open and somewhat welcoming. "The team will be assembled in 5 in the conference room." JJ always tried her hardest to sound professional in front of Hotch and Rossi. She is definitely more casual when talking to Spence, Morgan, Garcia, and Emily.

Hotch responded quickly before JJ had time to run, "Looks like we will be going back to Louisiana, your personal favorite, right JJ?" The witty remark caught JJ off guard, which was extremely unusual.

"...uhh, yes. I guess so, Sir." JJ tried to manage a smile. She knew that Hotch was only attempting to make a joke, which failed. JJ slowly exited the small office, and Hotch knew by the uncomfortable response that he shouldn't have said anything.

JJ only had two more offices to stop by, Rossi and Garcia. Rossi was pretty easy to handle, however recently JJ made a point of being smiley and courteous to the senior agent, because rumor had it that he was writing a new novel about the BAU team.

Rossi gave JJ the usual nod and wave, indicating that he would be at the meeting in five minutes, but currently was wrapped up in his own business and was not to be disturbed.

Lastly, JJ hurried to Garcia's cave of computers. The two ladies chatted for a couple minutes before they both realized that the meeting was seconds away from commencing.


	2. Chapter 2

JJ and Garcia were last to arrive in the conference room, which surprised JJ because she was convinced Rossi would not be able to rip himself away from writing his novel. Apparently her profiling skills weren't as sharp as she thought. As Garcia took her seat next to Morgan, JJ handed each of the agents a folder filled with documents, pictures, and maps that were relevant to their current case.

"Officials from Lake Charles, Louisiana have asked for our help on a case involving a series of murders." JJ said as she walked towards the front of the room. With a click of a remote, JJ brought up 8 pictures of smiling young people. JJ always liked the before pictures…she would always linger a little and would let the shining faces stare at them a little longer.

"Over the past five months, 4 couples have been brutally murdered…the local police believe that this is a serial killer targeting young couples. All victims have been in their late teens or early twenties. The youngest and the most recent were both 18 years old, Matthew Cranner and Ashley Simmons. They were high school seniors, within 2 weeks of graduating…" JJ's voice trailed off a little.

"What is the unsub's MO?" Morgan asked, trying to keep the meeting moving forward.

"The local officials are not completely sure, but they believe that the unsub uses a gun to coerce the couple in order to take them to a different location and then tortures the female with several different types of devices; what finally kills her apparently is blood loss. The male victim is shot at point blank range in the forehead." JJ describes as she brings up pictures of the bodies of the victims in the morgue.

"well, the unsub obviously has women issues" Emily states blankly.

"who doesn't?" Rossi jokes, in his usual attempt to keep the team detached from their own emotions.

"it is assumed that both the male and female victims were taken at the same time, usually from secluded places, where local couples go to have some privacy, such as near the local lake or the local fields" JJ continued. "Their cars were found usually the next day."

"Where were the bodies found?" Reid questioned.

"The bodies of the victims were found two weeks later, in relatively public area. All were found on the edge of the local woods, near the trails that hikers frequently use. And each time the bodies were found with the male and the female victims positioned next to each other and always with their hands placed together." JJ informed.

"Were the bodies found nude?" Emily asked.

"Actually, no. all four pairs were found in the clothes that they were last seen wearing. Why do you ask?"

"Usually when an unsub leaves the bodies out in public places, the victims will be nude and mutilated as to further humiliate them. however, by redressing the victims, the unsub has differed the usual pattern." Rossi answered.

"So do we think that he is remorseful? He redresses them and puts the bodies in a place where they will be found, which gives the family closure… And then the hand holding? That is new." Emily remarked.

Reid responded to her comment, "it might be his way of putting the couple back together even after they are dead. There has to be a reason he takes both the male and female. Its obvious that he has more aggression towards women as he tortures the female."

"we can't rule out that he has aggression towards the male as well, making him watch his girl be tortured and killed and not being able to do anything is just as much torture" Hotch stated flatly, and the team knew he was thinking of Haley.

"there is one more thing" JJ chimed into the conversation, "postmortem , all of the female victims had their uterus and vagina cut out. Basically, their bottom half was eviscerated. This act has kept the local medical examiners from knowing if the female victims were raped."

JJ didn't pull up pictures of this last horrifying detail, as each agent had a copy in their folder, and she knew that Garcia hated seeing gore.

Hotch took command of the meeting, "OK, Garcia, I want you to dig up all you can on each of the victims along with local sex offenders and any other facts about the town. The unsub is definitely from the area. And some serious event must have triggered his psychotic break."

"Yes, Sir" Garcia said as she jumped to her feet and headed towards the door, "I will call you as soon as I have something."

Before exiting the conference room, Garcia took her usual last look back at her family. The profilers were deep in thought, flipping through their folders and making intelligent observations about the positions of the bodies. After sufficiently taking in the sight of her loves hard at work, Garcia retreated to her office where her babies were waiting.

"Okay wheels up in an hour" Hotch declared. And with that the members of the team dispersed, with the exception of JJ, to gather their to-go bags. JJ just kept staring at the smiling faces, which she had brought back up on the projection. The job had gotten increasingly harder for her after Foyet had destroyed Hotch's family.

"_I love you momma" Henry said as she left for work this morning. This statement caught JJ off guard. _

"_I love you too, Hen. I love you so much!" she declared as she picked the young boy up into her arms. "You are my little angel! My entire world." JJ nuzzled her nose against Henrys'._

A sudden noise snapped JJ back to reality.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to startle you." Reid nervously explained as he walked back into the conference room to grab the folder he had forgotten.

"Oh, Spence, no. I was just daydreaming. Everything is fine." JJ stammered.

JJ's demeanor and the way she was quick to claim that everything was fine signaled a red flag in Reid's mind.

"…JJ, is something wrong?" Reid asked calmly.

"Of course not, why do you ask?"

"Because I apologized for startling you and you immediately claim everything is fine." Reid explained

"It's really nothing, Spence. I'm just a little tired, but I will get some sleep on the plane."

"Okay." Reid was somewhat satisfied with the answer, but he knew something was wrong. "But, JJ," he started as he grabbed her arm and some what forced her to face him, "You know that you can always come to me…no matter what. I will be there for you."

The statement seemed to calm JJ in an unexpected way, and she blushed a little. She was smiling until Reid continued..

"the whole team is always there for you. we all are here for each other." Reid was trying his best to be supportive, yet this time he went too far.

JJ realized that he was really just reaching out to her for the sake of the team, not for any other reason. The sincere smile quickly disappeared from her face, and was replaced with a complacent smile, the smile she learned to have as a professional.

"Thanks, but seriously everything is ok" JJ stated somewhat coldly as she turned off the projector and walked towards the door. "I'll see you on the plane."

Reid stood there a little longer, thinking about what he should have said, but resigning to his usual self.


End file.
